By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Young entrepreneurs in Edo State have been assured by the state Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, of the availability of start-up funds to take their businesses to greater heights.
Mr Obaseki, who made this known at the Workshop for Youth Empowerment on Digital Marketing and Skills Development in Benin City, said the entrepreneurs will also be supported in other ways that will help them grow bigger.
Represented at the event by the Commissioner for Wealth Creation, Cooperative and Employment, Mr Emmanuel Usoh, the Governor noted that “the Bank of Industry (BOI); Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other development partners give us grants to empower these participants which will help create jobs.
“Training is endless and I urge you all to take the workshop seriously as the training you receive here today will equip you and place you in a better position digitally to rule the world.”
According to him, his administration places huge premium on digital technology and assured that he would create the platform for the trainees to actualize their dreams.
He further called on the 2,100 participants who were selected from the over 150,000 job seekers in the Edo jobs portal to make use of the opportunity created by the workshop to better their lives and create jobs for others.
“It is a great opportunity to talk to you and encourage you to do what is necessary to create wealth for yourselves. In doing this you must plan, prepare and participate fully in this training. Edo State is blessed and strategically located, and at the centre of economic activities, with the capacity to become the economic hub of the nation” Mr Obaseki said.
He stressed that Edo people are intelligent, creative, smart and are good people who are business-oriented and can use their potentials to make the state great, adding “We have a government well positioned to ensure that every Edo man or woman has the potential to create wealth and contribute to the development of the State.”
Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, represented by her Press Secretary, Tunde Oyasanya, said the training, tagged ‘Diversifying the Nigerian Economy: Enabling Youth through Digital Skill Training’, was one of the cardinal goals of the SDGs to ensure youths were empowered to reduce poverty and joblessness in the country.
Director of Information and Communication Technology, Edo State, Yuwa Naps, said the ultimate goal for the training was to make digital entrepreneur out of the participants. “This will be followed by a three weeks online training for them. We are planning to invest in the exceptional participants among them and grow them into entrepreneurs that we will closely monitor” she said.
A Google certified trainer Elijah Otor said the participants were being trained on Digital Skill 101 which is an orientation course and an introduction to the programme.
He said they were not expected to understand all the things taught in just a day.
The training was designed for about 250,000 youths.
Dipo Olowookere 
Adedapo Adesanya